Chapter 5 #2
I glance at the clock. We’ve been at it for over an hour, and I need to pick up Zeke soon from daycare and then work on dinner.
“You’re done,” Ashton says. “I’ve seen that look in Nova’s eyes when the information doesn’t seep in and your eyes glaze over.”
“You help Nova study?”
“We both have psychology together. It’s more of a mini study group, just the two of us,” he says with a wicked grin.
I roll my eyes and hold up a hand. I don’t want to know if his idea of studying doesn’t involve books and school assignments.
“Glad things are working out for you two. When are you going to tell Luca?” I hate hiding it from him.
It’s only been a few days, but he’s still angry with me for running off, leaving him on our wedding day.
Apparently, my intentions don’t matter, only what I did, which was humiliate the family.
He’s been terse around me, disappearing the moment I try to speak with him about anything. He’s not home for any meals, making it an easy excuse not to sit down and talk.
And while I know he’s busy with hockey, so are Ashton and Liam, and I see them more than I see my own husband.
That word feels weird as it skates through my mind.
Husband.
Until death do us part.
The only vows that he probably feels true to, because I know that loving me isn’t one of them.
“Take a break,” Ashton says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, I need to pick up Zeke.”
“If you ever need help with him,” Ashton offers.
“Thanks. You’re a good friend, even if you’re lying to your best friend.” I glare at him, wanting him to tell Luca about his relationship with Nova.
It’s selfish of me, I know, but if Luca is focused on Nova, maybe he won’t be so mad at me?
The front door swings open, and I close my textbook. I really should put everything away. I’m done for today, my homework abandoned. I didn’t get it done—maybe after dinner when I have more time to stare at it blankly because I suck at statistics.
Luca walks past us with his backpack and does a double take when he sees Ashton and me in the study lounge.
His eyes tighten as he glances at the two of us, like we’ve been caught doing something immoral. “What the hell is going on in here?”
Ashton stretches his arms and rests one hand on my shoulder, holding me like one might hold a girlfriend.
I glance back at Ashton, wondering what the hell he’s doing.
“Ashton saw I was struggling and offered to help,” I say.
Luca huffs and shakes his head. “She doesn’t need your help, Ashton. You’ve done enough as it is, stay away from my wife!”
Ashton stands and stalks around the table, coming to face Luca.
He isn’t afraid of him, nor does he back down.
“Why? Are you jealous?” Ashton tilts his head, sizing him up. “The way I see it, your wife needed a little one-on-one tutoring and I was willing to give it to her, unlike you.”
Innuendo drips from his words, a sinful smile spreads across his lips.
Ashton is taunting Luca and loving every minute of it.
My mouth drops, wondering why the hell Ashton is being a jerk. He knows our relationship is tremulous at the moment. Is he trying to make matters worse?
Luca drops his backpack and lunges at Ashton, wrestling him to the ground as he starts throwing punches at his best friend.
Ashton blocks the majority of them with his arm, but one gets slammed into his ribcage and he grimaces.
“Stop it!” I scream, jumping up from the table. I don’t know how to break two boys apart when they’re fighting, least of all without getting hit.
Ashton shoves Luca away, and they both get back up onto their feet.
“Why the hell are you fighting?” I glare at Luca, demanding to know what’s gotten into him.
“Why is he tutoring you? If you need help, you come to me!” Luca’s clenching his teeth and I refrain from rolling my eyes.
“Are you—jealous?” I can’t fathom what Luca has to be jealous about; he doesn’t even want to be near me. “He’s just trying to rile you up. Nothing deplorable is happening between us. He’s just helping me with my homework. Ashton took statistics last year.”
“So did I.” Luca’s top lip twitches with a snarl. “If you need help, I’m your husband; I’ll help you.”
Oh, he’s definitely jealous. His muscles flex in his arm, and his jaw tightens.
It’s actually kind of hot, not that I’d confess that to him right now.
He’s steaming and has wanted nothing to do with me since the day of the wedding.
Is this Ashton’s way of trying to help, stirring up trouble to get Luca to notice me again?
“Okay,” I say and shove everything into my backpack. “Can you help me tonight with my statistics homework, Luca?”
“Fine,” he grumbles. “After Zeke is in bed.”
It takes a while to get Zeke down. He keeps climbing into my bed in his room and wanting cuddles. I lie down with him in the adult bed, getting him to settle in and shut his eyes. I rub his back, finally relieved when his breathing evens and he falls asleep.
I carefully carry him into his toddler bed, tucking him in before slipping out of his room, our room.
My clothes are still in the dresser where Luca sleeps, but my bed has been in Zeke’s room for the past several nights.
I’m not sure when Luca will want to share a bed with me, sex aside, just being in the same room with him tenses him up.
And he thinks he’s going to help me with my statistics homework?
I head into the study lounge and spread my books and assignment on the table in front of me.
It all feels familiar, only because I was already in here earlier today, not because I know an ounce of what I’m doing in statistics.
Turns out, I also don’t know what I’m doing with my marriage, either.
Luca plays hockey on Thursday night; perhaps if I show up with Kensley or Nova at the game, I might be able to get things between us back on track.
Not that I’m expecting him to want a replay of me fucking him while wearing a Narwhals’ jersey, but just treating me like a friend instead of ignoring me or yelling at me would be a nice change of pace.
Luca wordlessly steps into the study lounge.
His hair is wet, his sweatpants sit low at his waist as he puts a t-shirt on, and I can’t help but stare.
“You’re drooling,” he says to me.
Is he trying to lure a response from me? Because it’s working. I don’t want to feel the attraction, but it’s impossible to ignore as I stare at his muscles, his toned body, the line that goes down to where his sweatpants rest.
“Asshole,” I mutter.
He comes around to sit next to me at the table, and I try not to drink in his scent, sandalwood and amber. It’s definitely the shampoo he’s using, but fuck, that aroma stirs all of my senses in ways that it shouldn’t.
Not when he hates me.
I shift on the chair, hoping he’s oblivious to the early signs of my arousal. Just having him next to me, the heat radiating off his body, I feel like an animal in heat, ready to pounce.
Down, girl.
He doesn’t want me.
“Statistics,” I say, but my voice croaks, and he turns his head to stare at me.
I take a breath, try to regain my composure and force a smile. “Thanks for helping me with my assignment.”
“That’s a little premature,” Luca says. “I haven’t helped you yet.”
He silently reaches for the homework assignment and reads it over to see what we’re working on.
And just like last year, he’s right there, explaining everything to me, walking me through what the professor is looking for and how to come to the right conclusion.
He’s brilliant, smart, and sexy as hell.
I want to hate him, but I can’t.
We spend an hour together, actually studying, which consists of Luca tutoring me in statistics and helping me catch up on today’s class where I felt like I didn’t learn a damn thing.
He stretches and reaches for my notebook. My stomach grumbles as he turns through the pages and shakes his head. “You wrote all this down in class, but it’s wrong.”
“It’s what the teacher said,” I counter.
“Yeah, well, it’s wrong.”
“Okay, Einstein, do you want to correct it?” I hand him my pencil.
“Not particularly.” Luca stands and heads out of the study lounge.
I expel a sigh and rest my head on the table.
I guess he’s done with me.
A minute later, the sound of crinkling draws my attention, and I lift my head, glancing up.
Luca returns with a bag of potato chips, shoving the salty snack at me. “Your stomach is making sounds, and I can’t concentrate when you make noises.”
“Thanks,” I say, reluctantly taking the bag from his grasp. I pop a few chips into my mouth and crunch away.
The sound of my annoying crunching doesn’t seem to bother him. He’s diligently fixing my notebook, cleaning up my scribbles and comments so that they’re accurate. He’s flipping through my textbook along with my notebook, making sense of the chaos in front of him.
Is Luca actually being nice to me?
I opt not to ask, keeping the question to myself.
I offer him a potato chip, and he opens his mouth, letting me pop one inside while his hands continue erasing and then rewriting, before turning the page in my textbook and then in my notebook, doing it all over again.
“I think that once you have notes that are accurate, you might actually better understand what you’re learning,” Luca says.
“I’m not a bad note taker,” I counter.
“No, but I think you didn’t quite grasp the concept and then you’ve built on the framework, which has just made everything a mess.”
“Story of my life,” I say.
Luca turns his head, tilting it as he glances at me. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” I ask, not sure what I’ve done to offend him.
“Turn this into everything being your fault. Because it’s not.” He turns to face my notebook, flips the textbook page, and then erases my notes before reworking what I messed up.
“Pretty sure I’m the reason we’re in this mess,” I say. “I went into the basement when I shouldn’t have—”
Luca sighs heavily. “Yeah, well, I shouldn’t have even let you come to the compound that night. We’re both to blame.”